


The Return of Mischief

by tub0flard



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy AU, Had this idea randomly, I'm lazy so I'm using Harry Potter spells, M/M, any critique is appreciated, copy and pasted the first two chapters, decided to write it out, hopefully it isn't bad, originally started on wattpad, will keep editing it until it sounds good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:15:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tub0flard/pseuds/tub0flard
Relationships: Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Flashbacks

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sunshower](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26187358) by [credens_justitiam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/credens_justitiam/pseuds/credens_justitiam). 



Clank, clank.

Kokichi was tapping potion bottles together, watching the liquid inside of them slosh around, as always. He wanted to go out on the town, explore, maybe drop some potions on someone's head. Anything to keep himself from being bored. Oh, how he hated boredom. He wanted to punch it in its boring little face, but alas, he couldn't. Unless he conjured a dummy to take his anger out on. It wasn't as good as the real thing, though. Not like there was a real thing. 

The thing was, he couldn't go outside. Not anymore, at least. The Enchanted Land of Konori had come together to take away Kokichi's broom, his source of power, and had the audacity to put a non-magic barrier around his floating island home, preventing him from leaving without a magical object. Kokichi was left unable to leave his house, and he may or may not have deserved it. He thought about the day his broom was taken away a lot. Oh, how tragic indeed.

{Himiko Yumeno, the lazy yet powerful Necromancer, had come pounding at his door, anger in her eyes. He opened the door, to see the snoozing sorceress herself. She had an extensive robe on, which was clearly too large for her small body. She adjusted her blue hairpin, and then snapped her attention back to Kokichi. As Kokichi was a few inches taller than her, he couldn't help but laugh a bit at her sudden arrival.

"Y-you dare insult the greatest Necromancer in all the land?!" Himiko demanded, stomping her foot down. Kokichi started to audibly chuckle at this point.

"Nihishishi, you? The 'Greatest Necromancer in all the land?'" Kokichi started to snicker. "Give me a break, you poser. Get out of here while you still can, or I'll turn you into a donkey. You already look like one, anyway! It won't be much of a transformation."

"Stop it!" Himiko said, starting to feel a bit more insecure than she does already. "I don't look like a d-donkey!"

"Ooh, girl, who's been lying to you?" Kokichi pointed at Himiko's face, smiling. "Your mouth looks like it got caught underneath a toilet seat and it reformed your lips. Sorry to break it to you, but you have donkey lips. Now, go away, whatever-your-name-is."

"T-That's it, I've had enough of your bullying!" She shouted, while taking out her wand from her long robe. The wand itself had a feather tied to it, and was encrusted with multiple symbols. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She pointed at the peculiar broom that Kokichi had in the corner, next to his potion brewing table and cauldron. She pulled the peculiar broom towards herself, and Kokichi started to legitimately feel fear.

"W-what the hell are you doing, donkey-lips?!" Kokichi inquired, trying to grab his broom back from her. Himiko then pointed her wand at his neck.

"I've been receiving multiple complaints from throughout the continent of Konori about you, and how much trouble you've been causing!" Himiko said, with confidence. "I'm taking away your broom, and putting a barrier so you can't leave! And, my name is HIMIKO YUMENO!"

"H-hey, you can't do this to me! What have I ever done to you?!" Kokichi yelled, still trying to snatch the broom away from Himiko's hands. Himiko then put her wand's tip on his Adam's Apple.

"Not to me, specifically, but to name a few," Himiko then placed her wand into one of the robe's pockets, and reached into another pocket. She pulled out a list stating all of the mischievous deeds Kokichi had pulled. "Charm-casting, curse-casting, potion-smuggling, stealing, training others' familiars, evading taxes, product frauding, the list just goes on and on, Kokichi! And, on top of that, y-you laughed at me!"

"I was the one that got scammed for those products, and you know it," Kokichi defended, angrily. He crossed his arms, and tapped his foot repetitively. "And why the hell does it matter that I laughed at you? It's not like I insulted you or anything."

"YES, YOU DID!" Himiko screamed in her high-pitched voice, furrowing her eyebrows. "You called me donkey-lips!"

"Well, tickle my dick and call me Samantha, for crying out loud." Kokichi was extremely irritated. "Give me back my broom. I promise to not do anything else, ok?" He smiled and put one hand behind his back, crossing his fingers.

"I can see that, you know," Himiko pouted and pointed at his arm. "You aren't as slick as you think, Ouma, not everyone is a fool."

"C'mon, donkey-lips, I'll give you money, is that what you want?" Kokichi was trying to negotiate for his broom back. "Well luckily for you, I'm extremely wealthy in aureus." Kokichi jazz-handed confidently.

"We both know that's a lie, Kokichi." Himiko put the list back into her pocket. "A-Anyway, I'm going to be leaving now. Hopefully I've stopped the foul force that is Kokichi Ouma..."

"Yeah, well, fuck you too, donkey-lips." Kokichi turned around, and slammed his door behind him. He stomped up the stairs of his narrow tower, to the next floor, and looked outside his window to see saw Himiko casting the magical barrier. She then thrust her wand back into her robe in a hurry, and jumped off of the magical islands to activate her levitation spell to float down to the ground below.}

It was more than an eventful day, and Kokichi started to tear up a bit thinking about it. It had happened about 6 months ago, during a full moon. This was the consequence of being such a nuisance. He got up from his seat, twiddling his hair, and opened his front door. He stepped outside, and took a deep breath. He started to remember how he was constantly trying to find a weak spot in the barrier, and and slashing at it with an umbrella to no avail. He took another deep breath, adjusting his checker-patterned ruffle on his shirt, and buttoning up his black vest. He then bent down to adjust his slightly-pointed loafers with purple lace, and saw something on the ground, entangled in a blue fern.

"Is that..." He grabbed whatever was tangled into the fern. "Holy crap!" Kokichi started to smile uncontrollably at what he was holding in his hand. He tap-danced a bit, and cheered at the top of his lungs. He went inside, and grabbed his white pointy hat with checkered trimmings and matching white coat from his coat rack. He also grabbed his knitted bag and filled it with 5 glass bottles, a thermos filled with water, a small draw-string sack containing all sorts of potion ingredients, a slightly bigger draw-string sack filled with aureus, and edible multi-colored crop reserves. As soon as he was done packing, he pulled the back tight, slung it over his shoulder, and grabbed a loose thread of yarn that was used to hold back the curtains of his window. He dashed back to his front yard, and tied his new-found object to his neck, and stepped forward, through the magical barrier. 

"Nihishishi, I'll be back soon. I'll just be returning Yumeno's feather," He chuckled. "I'm coming for you, you narcissistic necromancer. You'd better prepare yourself." Kokichi cheered once more, and launched himself off of his floating island home, plummeting towards the land once again, as he should be doing, after all this time.


	2. Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi arrives at the village square, and finds a boy with self-esteem issues!

Kokichi fell through the air, as his home is pretty far off the ground. He didn't worry about it, though. For the fun of this perilous predicament, he pretended to be laying down in a hammock as he continued to plummet through the combination dense darkness and shiny sparkles that is the sky. He looked down at the ground, and quickly made note of how close he was to the village square from where he was. He began to slightly curve his legs, and bend his head forward. He waited for a good 10 seconds, and as he hit the ground, he rolled forward in a barrel roll, cushioning his fall. He stood up, and brushed the dirt off of his pants, looking around. It seemed that he was in the middle of a forest.

"Oh, damn it," He said, malcontent. "I'm probably too far from the village square." He took the feather off of his neck. "Lumos." The tip of the feather illuminated brightly, and he started to walk in the general direction of the village square. Kokichi started to whistle, sort of feeling like a disney princess, and hoped that he could summon a multitude of animals as his army. He whistled for a good 5 minutes, and realized that no animals were arriving. Pouting, he started to walk a bit louder than usual.

He almost didn't start to hear the bustling of the nearby village.

"Yahoo!" Kokichi cheered, tying the feather back around his neck. "Nox." The light on the feather was put out, and he started to head into town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Kokichi walked throughout the curbs of the square, passing the residents, nobody seemed to recognize his dangerously adorable facial proportions. Which was surprising, considering he used to terrorize the entire kingdom with his mischief. At the same time, though, he was relieved. He could finally feel like he belonged somewhere, and for that, he felt fortunate enough. He would read signs that were advertising some bars, small companies, confectioneries, and what-not, such as Konori's Tavern, Ikusaba's Weapon Crafting, and Ruruka's Mana. He even saw multiple posters telling people to donate to Prince Byakuya's treasury, which was weird, as he was already wealthy enough.

He then saw an advertisement for brooms.

Kokichi started to feel a bit gloomy after seeing the advertisement for brooms. He missed his broom, though it wasn't much a broom at all. Unlike most witches and wizards, he lacked a wand. The source of his power was his broom and broom alone. It was a whole lot more convenient to fly around quickly and cast spells without losing his balance. He could still remember it clearly after all this time. The handle was carved out of burnt wood, and was inscribed with multiple magical symbols. The bristles themselves were replaced with a huge purple crystal, and the tip of the broom's handle was topped with an orb, swirling with lavender-colored magic. It was the source of his magic, after all, of course he would miss it. Other than that, though, it was aesthetically pleasing, so it was easily something to crave. While reminiscing in his depressive thoughts, he fought to keep a neutral face on to keep attention away.

That didn't go for the boy curled up in a ball against a wall, though.

The boy had dark navy-blue suit on, with a grey vest over it. The vest was accompanied with a strap going over one of his shoulders, carrying a magnifying glass made with seemingly expensive materials. He had leather lace-up boots with slightly pointy tips, and was polished to be the shiniest it could be. Last but not least, he had a flat cap on his head, covering his eyes from Kokichi's view. Kokichi looked around, and observed that everyone kept walking past the boy with the flat cap on.

Taking pity on him, Kokichi sat next to him. The boy flinched in surprise, and looked at Kokichi.

"Wh... W-who are you?" The boy inquired, sheepishly. He raised his flat cap to make eye contact with Kokichi.

"Well, I'm just a happy-go-lucky drifter making my way across the village," Kokichi stated, with sadness in his voice. "...That was a lie, if you didn't notice."

"Well, from what I can tell, you're in a similar situation that I'm in," The boy said, lowering his cap once again. "I'm actually kind of sad myself."

"How did you know I was sad?" Kokichi asked, suddenly lit up with amazement. "Are you some sort of clairvoyant?"

"N-no, I'm just a detective apprentice." The boy reached to the magnifying glass and started inspecting it. "I'll never be as good as a real detective, though..."

"Well, why the hell do you say that," Kokichi began, but paused, "...Mr..?"

"...Saihara," The boy stated, "Shuichi Saihara."

"Well, Shuichi, it seems to me that you're a pretty great detective," Kokichi continued, "You were able to figure out that I was sad!"

"...That's basic human knowledge, though..." Shuichi said, begrudgingly, putting the magnifying glass back on the strap. "Nevermind, what about you, uh..?"

"Oh, me? I'm Ouma, Kokichi Ouma," Kokichi said, with confidence beaming out of his eyes. "I'm looking for Himiko Yumeno to get my broom back." _Oh, that's right! I should ask him._ "By the way, do you know where she is?" Kokichi looked at Shuichi, whose eyes had widened.

"Y-you're.. Kokichi Ouma? _The_ Kokichi Ouma?" Shuichi asked, bewildered. "Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing? What were you planning?" The interaction the two were having was suddenly turning into an interrogation.

"Woah, woah, no need to get your pubes in a braid, Shuichi," Kokichi laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been trapped in the sky, snacking off of my emergency reserves, awaiting this day to come for roughly 6 months, is all." Kokichi stated everything so proudly, Shuichi couldn't help but be bewildered once again. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand, do you know where Himiko could be?"

"No, I don't, but I can help you look," Shuichi suggested, but quickly went back on his offer. "Wait, nevermind, I don't have the experience to do that kind of thing..."

"Hey, you were the one that offered!" Kokichi complained. He then thought of something absolutely revolutionary. "And besides, you seem to have experience, considering you carry that expensive thing around." Kokichi pointed at the magnifying glass, and Shuichi put his hand over his magnifying glass as if he were trying to protect it.

"N-no, that's not why I carry this around," Shuichi lowered his head, pulling his legs together tightly. He then pulled the glass off of the strap again, and stared at it intently. "This magnifying glass was my uncle's. He lent it to me after he died, and told me to hang onto it wherever I went... I wanted to honor his memory, so I listened." The magnifying glass glimmered in the light of street candles. "But, you were right, it is expensive. The glass is made out of polished crystal, and its metal frame is made of Orichalcum. I crafted the wood handle myself, actually." Shuichi started to smile a bit after talking about the magnifying glass.

"Woah! Do you use it in all your investigations? Do you polish it regularly?" The two's roles had suddenly switched, Kokichi was interrogating now. "Do you think your dead uncle is haunting it?!"

"Ah, no, I only polish it if the shine becomes more dull," Shuichi replied, putting the magnifying glass back onto the strap. "I would like to live up to my uncle's name one day, having all of the courage he had, and all of the cases he's solved." Shuichi closed his eyes and sighed, releasing his legs from his tight grip. "I wonder if there's a potion I can drink to become more courageous."

"Huh, quite the convincing story, Mr. Detective," Kokichi leaned against the wall he was sitting against, and looked up the sky. He observed every shining light and every dark spot, which reminded him of his own broom. "If only I had my broom, I could cast a charm on you to give you a heart full of bravery, just like you dear departed uncle. But I only have this useless phoenix feather."

"...So, you're saying that if you get your broom back, you can give me more courage?" Shuichi asked curiously, briefly imagining himself as a person with more courage, seeming to ignore Kokichi's comment on his uncle. "You can seriously do that?" 

"I mean, yeah, of course I could. For someone who's an esteemed detective, you can't really seem to put two and two together, eh? They didn't _fear_ me for nothing." 

"Well, if I would be able to continue his legacy," smiled, and clasped his hands together, "Oh, alright, I guess I've changed my mind. I'll help you find your broom, for my sake, I suppose..."

"That's more like it, Shumai," Kokichi chuckled, and elbowed Shuichi lightly in the ribs. "I hope you like your new nickname, Shuichi. I'm not going to be dropping it any time soon." Kokichi stood up, and brushed the dust off of his behind, and adjusted his hat to be less crooked.

"Ah, I see," Shuichi smiled, and stood up as well. He dusted off his flat cap, and pulled up his boots. "Shall we get going, Ouma?" He gestured to along the curb and further buildings in the square. Kokichi only then noticed a noticeable height difference between the two, but thought not much of it. A lot of people were taller than him, after all. Other than the so-called Greatest Necromancer, which was pretty ironic.

"Heck yeah, Shumai!" Kokichi slung his bag over his shoulder, and skipped happily along the curb. Shuichi followed, flicking up his hat, smiling prouder than he ever had before.

Thus was the start of one of the greatest mystical tales in history.


	3. Out on the Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The outsider duo run into Rantaro Amami, a traveler searching for the finest luxuries to share with his sisters. Kokichi and Shuichi decide to heed his advice.

Kokichi was skipping along the sand-colored cement, glancing at the signs and names of establishments, humming along to a mandolin player's tunes. He started to tap dance, making tapping sounds with every little step and maneuver. Shuichi simply smiled and clapped his hands to the beat of the tune, watching Kokichi dance. Kokichi, overwhelmed with joy despite his past situation, pulled Shuichi from the crowd that was grouping around them, holding both of his hands and pulling him along the small circle that was enclosed with a barrier of people.

"W-woah, Ouma! Ouma! Stop that!" Shuichi started to flush in color from embarrassment, leaning his head down so his hat can block eye contact from any person in the crowd, who were clapping and cheering them on. "I don't even know how to dance!"

"Aw, c'mon, Shumai, everyone's watching us! You're doing great!" Kokichi reassured, smiling madly. "And you can call me Kokichi, no need to be formal, Mr. Detective."

"Please, Ou- uh, Kokichi, I don't want to do this anymore." Despite them practically just meeting out of pure chance, Kokichi seemed to already form an attachment to Shuichi. "Please, let me go, I'll pay you 5 aureus if you do."

"Ugh, fine, you party pooper," Kokichi said reluctantly, grumbling as the crowd around them complained about them stopping. The crowd dissipated rather quickly, and just as Shuichi sighed of relief, Kokichi chimed in, "Alright then, pay up, Sherlock."

"Fine..." Shuichi grumbled as he dropped 5 rose-gold coins in Kokichi's hands, and readjusted his vest. "I think we should go find Yumeno immediately if we're going to retrieve your broom, so let's hurry and fulfill our deal so I can go back home..." Shuichi started to pat his hands over his pockets, realizing that he barely had anything on him to make a jouney. "Wait a second, I don't have any kind supplies to go on a trip!"

" Well, Mr. Detective, you're a lot more clueless than I thought you initially to be," Kokichi complained, adjusting his hat and disarrayed coat before crossing his arms. "Well, let's go to your house, then, to pick up your things. I'm dying to know what your house looks like, Shumai."

"Ahaha, about that..." Shuichi began, rubbing his neck with his hand while smiling nervously. "I live two kingdoms over... Doing that would be a bit of a predicament." Shuichi was trying extremely hard to avoid eye contact with Kokichi, dreading what he was going to say next.

"Seriously?! What the heck were you doing all the way out here without any supplies?!" Kokichi angrily inquired, tapping his foot impatiently. "Well, now we need to waste our valuable money on things for you!" Kokichi sneered, like a spoiled child who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas.

"I'm sorry, ok?" Shuichi replied, a bit agitated himself. "I was stressed, so I just... walked, aimlessly. To be completely honest with you, Kokichi, I don't even know where I am. I don't know what my purpose in this world is. I..." Shuichi paused abruptly, struggling to keep his tears from building up. Kokichi quickly made note of this, and placed a hand on Shuichi's shoulder.

"Aw, Shumai, if I knew that, I wouldn't have yelled." Shuichi smiled a bit at Kokichi's reply, and let a single tear drift down his face before wiping his face with his sleeve, and calmed down enough to listen to Kokichi. "Well, on the bright side, there's a witchcraft store and a bar nearby, so we can buy you some things. Oh! That reminds me, I'm parched." Kokichi took his bag off of his back, and reached inside, pulling out his thermos. He took a quick swig, and placed his thermos back inside of his bag, while taking out his bag of aureus. "Luckily for you, I have a bunch of money to blow. Alright, follow me!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After about 7 minutes of walking through the city, Kokichi saw the sign he was looking for. Teruteru's Variety Bar and Witchcraft Services. Bingo! Kokichi smiled, and grabbed Shuichi's hand, leading him into the bar. They were immediately engulfed in the scent of the combination of freshly cooked goods and alcohol. Kokichi took a deep breath, savoring the scent. He looked over at Shuichi, who looked a bit nervous at the sight of all the strong and burly men who were drinking their lives away. "Hey, Shumai, don't look so nervous," Kokichi reassured, elbowing Shuichi in the ribs lightly. "There's nothing to be afraid of, these guys have the strength of an elderly sow when they're drunk."

"Well, uh, if you say so, Kokichi," Shuichi said, hesitating before taking a deep breath, also savoring the unique scent of the bar. Kokichi walked forward, dragging Shuichi forward to sit at a vacant table. Shuichi would glance at other tables, taken by drunken men, who were catcalling the servers. This wasn't exactly an ideal scenario for an epic quest to find a broom. Shuichi lowered his cap, laying his head down on the table. Kokichi glanced at Shuichi, and smiled while rolling his eyes. _What a drama-queen..._

"Hey!" A random customer from another table shouted towards the duo and waved his hand enthusiastically. From what Kokichi could tell, the stranger had avocado-green hair and similar-colored eyes. He was wearing a navy-blue ruffled blouse with golden cuff links, and a beige vest imprinted with wave-like patterns. To top it all off, his eyelashes were abnormally long, almost in a feminine way. It was cute, Kokichi couldn't seem to admit that, though. "Wanna chat about whatever?"

"Wow, what a cool way to break the ice!" Kokichi said sarcastically but happily, sitting up immediately, and trotting over to the strangers table. "C'mon, Shuichi, come sit with the cool kids." He patted the seat next to him, cooing Shuichi's name over and over again. Shuichi gulped, raised his cap so he could see better, and walked over to the spot Kokichi reserved for him. "That's more like it."

"So, for starters, what are your names?" The stranger asked, his hand under his chin, seemingly laid back. "I'll tell you mind first, it's Rantaro Amami, haha."

"Well, Rantaro, my name's Kokichi Ouma, and this is my... boyfriend, Shuichi Saihara!" Kokichi snickered a bit at his sudden improvisation, and waited for Shuichi's reaction. "C'mon, Shumai, introduce yourself."

"First of all, I can't introduce myself anymore, you already did it for me," Shuichi replied a bit irritated, crossing his arms and sitting up tensely. "Second of all, I don't know where you got the idea to say that, but I'm not your b-boyfriend."

"Aw, man, don't be such a sourpuss," Kokichi said back, snidely, and turned his attention back to Rantaro. "Well, the boyfriend part was a lie, but his name is actually Shuichi Saihara." Shuichi kicked Kokichi from underneath the table, making a dirty look at him. "Ow!"

"Now, now, enough with the lover's quarrel, what's your business here in one of the most feared bars in the city?" Rantaro asked, curious as to why they were here, considering they weren't exactly the strongest-looking people around.

"Feared?!" Shuichi began to feel anxious once again. "Kokichi, you didn't tell me that this bar was dangerous!" Shuichi snapped his attention to Kokichi, practically clawing him with his tense eyes. "Why did you bring me here?!"

"Hey, hey, calm down! I didn't say anything cuz I knew you would react like this!" Kokichi responded, also crossing his arms. "Besides, this bar has the best food and magical services around! The things you can order are divine, and you can go to the opposite side of the bar to buy witchcraft supplies!" Kokichi pointed to the section opposite of the front of the bar, where the wall was painted a different color than the rest. While the rest of the bar was made entirely of amber polished wood, the opposite side was painted a light green color, with shelves with magical ingredients decorating the walls. There was also a cashier waiting near barrels full of purchasable bags and sacks, seemingly bored. They were reading the local newspaper. "We can buy some supplies here, and get some food for the road, isn't that nifty?" Kokichi was waiting for a response, proudly, but was instead shut down.

"Witchcraft? I can't even perform magic!" Shuichi answered, not exactly comforted by Kokichi's explanation. "On top of all that, the people here... scare me!" He lowered his hat over his eyes a bit, getting more anxious by the second.

"Ok, fine, the supplies are for me," Kokichi said, with a bit more spunk in his tone. "But look at the bright side, you can get some food for our journey! Besides, the only thing that really sucks here is the whiskey." He pointed at his mouth and stuck out his tongue while retching. "Seriously, it tastes like you're downing your own vomit mixed with pig shit."

"Oh, really?" Rantaro chimed in, clearly enjoying the show that Kokichi and Shuichi were putting on for him. "If that's the case, I recommend going to the classier bar a few blocks away, they even have a jewelry store there! I buy a lot of things for my sisters back home. The whiskey there is great."

"Ooh, sounds fun! We might as well head over there right now!" Kokichi stood up, and then immediately sat back down. "Oh, wait, we didn't even buy anything here yet. We need to do that first." Kokichi clutched his bag of aureus, and strutted over to the front bar. He talked to the owner, a short, pig-faced brunette, and ordered 6 jars of starfruit puree, a bag full of dragon meat, diced mushrooms, and a jug of water. He gave the owner a total of 471 aureus, and walked back to the table that Rantaro and Shuichi were waiting at. "If the waiter comes by with our order, just tell them to leave it under the table. I'll be right back, I need to buy some potion ingredients."

"Alrighty, witchyboy," Rantaro replied, laid-back as ever. He looked to Shuichi, who simply nodded and stayed silent. "We got you covered." Smiling in response, Kokichi walked over to the opposite side of the bar, and browsed every shelf, picking up one of every product, examining it carefully, and putting it in his bag. He grabbed one of everything, and went to the cashier to buy all of the supplies he apparently needed, but it seemed to Shuichi he was just blowing his money. He payed another total of 379 aureus, and placed all of the ingredients inside of his knitted bag.

"I'm honestly surprised that you didn't steal anything," Shuichi said, taken aback. "I was expecting you to just run outside."

"Gasp! I cannot believe you think I'm just some petty thief!" Kokichi replied, placing his hand on his chest dramatically. "What do you take me for, some mischief-making fiend?!"

"Yes, that's actually EXACTLY what I take you for," Shuichi retorted, taking off his flat cap, dusting it, and placing it back on his head. "The waiter came by with your order, by the way."

"Is that so?" Kokichi asked, as if he didn't expect it all. "Well, if that's everything, YOU can carry it all, Shuichi! I already have my own bag, see?" He took off his bag, and flaunted it in Shuichi's face.

"Seriously? I'm starting to regret coming with you on this 'quest'..." Shuichi groaned, hesitantly putting the heavy bag over his shoulders. It visibly weighed him down, straightening out his hunched back immediately.

"Well, I think we should get going, Shumai," Kokichi declared, readjusting his hat. "What was the name of that bar you told us to go to, Rantaro?" Kokichi looked at Rantaro, excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, I saw you dancing by it earlier, the name of the bar is Ruruka's Mana," Rantaro replied, clasping his hands together. "You two were quite the center of attention."

"Oh, god, you saw that?" Shuichi moaned, covering his face with his hand. "Do me a favor and never bring that up again, please..."

"Haha, well, if you say so, happy feet." Rantaro laughed Shuichi's complaining off and bid them luck. "Well, you two, I need to head home myself, I hope you enjoy the whiskey at that bar." Rantaro stood up, and slung a huge backpack with a sleeping bag strapped to it.

"Thanks for your advice, Amami." Shuichi stood up out of his chair, and Kokichi shortly followed. They both put their bags on their back, and began to walk to the exit of the bar. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe we'll see you around!" Kokichi yelled from outside the bar, hoisting the bag over his shoulders once again after he accidentally dropped it. "Oops!"

"Cya later guys! It was nice meeting y'all!" Rantaro smiled as he replied, waving goodbye as they walked out the door. "Stay in touch!" Kokichi smiled and looked at Shuichi as they were walking down the steps of the entrance of the bar.

"He seemed nice, huh?" Kokichi asked Shuichi, who had his hat over his eyes once again. "Shumai, you seriously have to take your hat off. I can't see you when I try to talk to you."

"T-that's actually the entire point," Shuichi countered, while lowering his hat even more. "S-sorry, I don't really like confrontation..."

"It's oki-doki, emo detective!" Kokichi patted Shuichi on the back, and started to skip ahead of him. "Now, let's go to that other bar! Hopefully the whiskey there tastes good."


	4. Taking a Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo head to the classier bar, where they meet an expert gambler. They need money for the road, so they take gambling lessons!

"C'mon, Shuichi, the bar's this way!" Kokichi pointed in the general direction of where they had danced, and Shuichi groaned at the thought of everyone staring at him. "Ugh, man, stop being so shy, Sherlock. The past is the past, you can't change how good you were dancing!" Kokichi teased Shuichi, sticking out his tongue. "Seriously, you had maybe the entire TOWN entranced by your sexy moves!"

"Kokichi, stopping shyness is easier said than done," he replied, sighing while dusting off his cap. "Also, my moves weren't s-sexy, if anything, they were atrocious."

"Well, I thought they were sexy." Kokichi looked around as they approached the same spot the mandolin player once stood. He glanced at the sign above and grinned. "Here we are, Shumai! It's time to drink some whiskey, eh?"

"For a trip, why do we even need whiskey?" Shuichi was doubtful of the aspect of this entire trip. He just wanted to go home... "Are you sure you aren't just dragging me along with you so you can drink or something?"

"No, Shumai, I would never do that to you! You were nice enough to accompany me, after all." Kokichi began to step into the bar, with Shuichi following. "You are my favorite, after all." Shuichi had no reply to this blatant statement, and covered his face as he silently felt a bit flustered. "Let's get a sip, shall we?" Kokichi began reaching into his sack of aureus, and his happy grin quickly turned into a worried frown. "I... I think I blew all of my money at that other bar..."

"Well, why did you buy one of everything?!" Shuichi asked, clearly angry. "You probably aren't even going to use those ingredients! And the food you got was way too much for a journey!"

"..." Kokichi was taken aback by Shuichi's sudden tone, but thought of a way to stop Shuichi from being angry. He started to cry crocodile tears, and collapsed onto the floor dramatically. "WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHY IS MY BELOVED SHUMAI SO MEAN TO ME?!" He sobbed and sobbed, gaining glances from other customers at the taken tables. "How could you say those harsh words to a cute little witch like me??"

"K-kokichi, please, everyone's staring..." Shuichi's face quickly turned from angry to worried, looking at the other customers that were giving him dirty looks. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I won't yell again, just p-please stop crying." Shuichi bent down and attempted to comfort Kokichi, whose plan had gone accordingly!

"'Kay, I feel a lot better now," Kokichi stood up and dusted off his knees. Shuichi was surprised at how quickly Kokichi had recovered. "To be honest with you, Shumai, I just wanted you to stop being mad at me, and my plan worked flawlessly!" Kokichi pointed at Shuichi's confused face, and smiled innocently. "Now then, shall we go get some whiskey?"

"...Didn't you just say that you don't have any money left?" Shuichi was even more surprised at how quickly Kokichi had forgotten that he was basically poor now. "How are we going to get money now?"

"Hm... how about we get some jobs?" Kokichi suggested, shrugging. "Maybe we could get some quick money by cleaning."

"I don't think either of us have job experience." Shuichi put his hand on his chin, thinking intently. "Stealing isn't morally correct, so I think we might be stuck without money..."

"Ooh, ooh! What about gambling?" Kokichi reached into his aureus bag, and pulled out 2 rose-gold coins. "We can start with this! We'll climb our way up the social racks with how much money we'll earn!" Kokichi started smiling madly, rubbing his hands together like an evil villain. "We'll be rich, Shuichi!"

"I don't think anyone will bet on 2 measly aureus, boys." A light female voice with a slight accent was heard clearly by everyone in the bar, who had suddenly gone quiet. A woman with a large black fluffy overcoat had stepped into the bar. The duo started to observe the woman's outfit, which seemed to be both extremely expensive and elegant. Underneath her large overcoat, she wore a skin-tight black shirt with a ribbon tied around her neck. Her long stockings were accompanied with bright red heels, and her long curly black hair was tied together in a side ponytail. She walked into the bar, and took a free seat at the front of the bar. "My regular, please." The bartender immediately went to the back to grab this mysterious lady a drink. "You boys can sit next to me if you'd like, I'll buy you something to drink."

"Don't mind if we do! We're poor beggars looking to waste our lives on alcohol!" Shuichi shot Kokichi a dirty look, who then immediately gave up and stated what they were actually doing. "Ok, fine, we're on an epic quest to get my _super beautiful_ broom back, and we just ran out of money like 10 minutes ago."

"Sounds like quite the problem." The woman waited for the boys to sit down at her right side. "I never have that type of problem myself, though."

"Really? Do you come from a rich family?" asked Shuichi, observing the woman's seemingly expensive clothing. "You have luxurious clothing on, so I assumed as much." Shuichi looked around the bar, at all the customers, who were staring intently at the woman they were sitting next to. All except one person, who had a hood over their face and lightweight clothing. He thought briefly about what the odd person out could be doing at a bar of all places, but swatted the thought away and quickly shuddered while averting eye contact with the other customers.

"Ah, no, I actually gamble to get my keep," The woman replied, calmly. "I've been blessed with good luck when it comes to gambling, and gaining aureus is easy for me."

"Woah! So you're like, an underground gambler with 100% positive results?!" Kokichi was amazed, he both envied and admired her amazing luck. "Teach us your ways, o' glorious woman of mystery!"

"Kokichi, keep it down..." Shuichi patted his back lightly. "You're causing another scene."

"Instead of calling me 'o' glorious woman of mystery,"" the woman began to suggest, "you can call me by my name, Celestia Ludenberg, although I prefer Celeste. I've already overheard your names from your conversation." Celeste pointed at Kokichi and Shuichi and stated their names.

"Shuichi, I think we have found an actual clairvoyant," Kokichi whispered in Shuichi's ear, smiling. "That totally explains why she's so good at gambling!"

"Ah, I'm nothing of the sort, boys, I assure you." Celeste smiled as the bartender brought her the drink. "Thank you, sir. Might I ask you get these two boys some of your most popular whiskey?" The bartender nodded and hurried into the back once again. "Anyway, since you boys clearly need the money, I suppose I can teach you how to gamble."

"Wow, really?! I was just going to ask you that!" Kokichi cheered and clapped, bouncing in his seat. "So, where do we start?!"

"Kokichi, you can at least try being polite..." Shuichi sighed, hunching over. "Thank you for your help, Celeste, we really appreciate it."

"It isn't a problem, you two. Although, not everyone gets to say they trained under the Queen of Lies herself." Celeste laughed lightly. "Hmhmhmhm. As you two are beginners, I suggest you start off small. You see that table where the bald gentleman is sitting?" Celeste pointed at a table near the far corner of the bar, where the man was holding a sack full of coins. "Walk over there and ask him to play Blackjack. You two know the rules, correct? You attempt to pull a total no greater than 21 as you put down your cards and what-not?"

"Yes, I played that game often with my uncle before he passed." Shuichi was hesitant to fork over that slip of information, and lowered his cap as he said it. "He always said I was good at it."

"Ooh, Shumai, so you're a natural-borne gambler?!" Kokichi gasped, grabbed Shuichi's shoulders, and shook him violently. "C'mon, get your head in the game! It's winner takes all or nothing!" Shuichi swatted Kokichi's hands off of his shoulders. "Ow."

"I know, I know..." Shuichi stood up out of his seat, and took a deep breath. "Uh, Kokichi, can you at least accompany me? I'm a bit nervous at the moment."

"Oki-doki, coming!" Kokichi launched up out of his seat, and turned around towards Celeste. "Don't worry, Queenie, we got this." He gave her a thumbs up as he walked backwards towards the table. And bumped into a table. "Ow, damnit!" He rubbed his leg where he collided with the table. "W-we got this!" Celeste laughed lightly, and turned back around to finish her drink. Kokichi turned around and followed Shuichi to the table where the bald gentleman was sitting, who looked up and gave a manic expression.

"So, I assume you boys want to gamble against me?" The gentleman perked up with pride, and placed the sack of aureus on the table. "Well, I'm an extreme expert at gambling, so don't weep when you lose your... uh...." The gentleman pointed at the two coins in Shuichi's hands. "life savings, kehehe."

"Yeah, yeah, grandpa, let's just start the Blackjack match." Kokichi crossed his arms as the man pulled out a deck of cards. "Wait, before we start, I need to check if the cards are bugged." He grabbed the deck out of the man's hands, and checked them intently, card after card. "Alrighty, they're good." He placed the deck of cards back on the table.

"Hah, I don't need to bug my cards in order to win, fool," the man said snidely. "I'm extremely confident in my skills. Let's get started, shall we?" Kokichi started to shuffle the cards, making sure they were thoroughly mixed. He then began to pass out 5 cards to both Shuichi and the gentleman.

"I'm counting on you, Shumai, we really need those coins."

"Yeah, I know that already..." Shuichi looked at his cards, which were a 6 of hearts, a 3 of spades, a 4 of cloves, a 2 diamonds, and another 2, but of cloves. Shuichi looked up and looked at the gentleman, who was smiling confidently. _Oh god, he probably has better cards than me._ Negative thoughts started to swirl around Shuichi's head. _What if we lose all of your money? What if this quest was a complete waste of time after all? What if I get beaten up if we actually win?_ He started to feel a lot more nervous than he had been before. _No, no, it's okay. We'll win for sure... I think,_ he reassured himself, while putting down his first card, the 2 of diamonds. He looked up at the man again, who sneered again as he placed down his first card, 9 of cloves.

"Your turn, young man." The man was staring at his cards, like a teen reading a porno mag for the first time. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

"Yeah, uh thanks." Shuichi placed his next card down, the 4 of cloves. The man looked up over his cards, and laughed audibly while placing his next card down, an ace of spades. _Oh, crap, that's an eleven.. so 9 plus 11 is... 20... oh no... we're gonna lose..._ Shuichi shook his head. _No, shut up, this isn't over yet._ Shuichi then felt Kokichi's hand on one of his shoulders.

"It's ok, Shumai, you can do it," Kokichi assured, while rubbing his back. "You have the blessing of the mischief making fiend himself!" Shuichi flushed in color a bit, savoring the feeling of Kokichi's warm hand. _Damn it... why the hell did he decide to do this now, of all times?_ Shuichi put down his next card, the 6 of hearts, while savoring the feeling of Kokichi's hand. _So, 2 plus 4 equals 6, and 6 plus 6 makes 12, so I'm about halfway through my limit._ The gentleman looked over at Shuichi's deck, and slapped down his next card, the 7 of hearts... _Wait, that isn't right. What is he doing?_

"Hah, sorry boys! Looks like I win!" The man slammed down the rest of cards as if he had just scored a victory. "Read 'em and weep!"

"Uh... sorry sir, but you actually lost. You weren't supposed to go over 21."

"No, that's not how this game works. You're supposed to go over 21!"

"...It really isn't, sir."

"You're just trying to cheat me out of my aureus!"

"No sir, he's not trying to cheat you." Celeste had appeared, standing besides their table. "He truly won."

"Oh, get out of here, lady, you don't know the rules of Blackjack." He sneered as he held out his hand towards Shuichi. "Now, cough it up, young man. I won fair and square."

"No, YOU don't know the rules of Blackjack." Celeste had raised her tone. "If you weren't such a pea-brained idiot, you would know that you aren't supposed to go over 21, you walking shell of company scum." She had grabbed the man and lifted him up by the collar, and placed a slip of paper into her pocket before continuing to yell in his face. "Stop trying to scam these poor boys out of their money. Surely you don't need yours, as the amount you bet was so little. I'm sure you have more, no?" She turned over to the table, and grabbed Kokichi's drink off the table. 

"Hey! That's my drink!" Celeste ignored his remark, and dumped the drink on the scheming man. This probably wasn't even justified, but in the heat of the moment, it seemed acceptable. The other customers of the bar watched as the foul-smelling liquid drenched the seemingly expensive suede suit. 

"N-no, I don't..." The man whimpered, averting Celeste's gaze. All of the bar's customers were looking in their direction of the unfolding chaos. "I-I have more money, is that what you want? Please, just put me down..." He was desperate to get the negative attention off of himself.

"Not until you apologize to these young men."

The man looked at both Kokichi, who was smiling at him proudly, and Shuichi, who was averting his gaze, rubbing his arm nervously, before muttering apologies profusely. Celeste then dropped him to the floor, and watched as he took a bigger sack of coins out from his coat pocket. The man then dropped them all on the floor, and started to wail in fear as he ran out of the entrance of the bar.

Everyone around them, excluding the mysterious red-hooded figure, of course, started clapping and cheering for Celeste, yelling things like 'Queen of Lies!' and 'Scammers can suck my dick!' The latter wasn't appropiate, of course, and Kokichi laughed at the remarks.

"Wowee, look, Shuichi!" Kokichi picked up the sack of aureus, sniffing it enthusiastically. "It even smells like money, too!" He peered inside, and the contents of the bag was a lot bigger than anticipated. "He gave us what he owed to us and more!"

"Uh... yeah, yeah, I guess he did." Shuichi hated to admit it, but he was longing for the feeling of Kokichi's soothing hand again. "S-should we get back on the road, if we've finished out business here?"

"Sorry to interrupt your victory, boys, but while you were gambling, I won a trip to Prince Byakuya's castle from that gentleman over there." Stating it as if it was nothing, she pointed at the gentleman sobbing uncontrollably in the opposite corner of the bar, and took the slip of paper she put in her coat pocket before going off on the scheming man. "I have plans tomorrow to go against another famous gambler, Ryoma Hoshi, I don't know if you've heard of him? He has an apparent knack for gambling above everything else." She read the slip of paper. "Oh, and the trip is tomorrow, so if you want to go, I'll give you the slip."

"Duh-doy, of course we want to go!" Kokichi snatched the paper out of Celeste's hand. "Thanks, Celeste!"

"Yes, thank you, Celeste." Shuichi held his hand out to shake her hand, and she grabbed and shook firmly. "Kokichi and I appreciate your little gambling lesson, we really do."

"Thank you for your words of kindness, boys." Celeste pulled up her overcoat, and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I need to get going now. My escort is waiting outside, I hope you enjoy your visit to his highness's castle!" She turned around to leave, waving at the duo. Kokichi jumped up on top of a stepstool and waved dramatically, as Shuichi watched in awe.

"Farewell, o' Queen of Lies!" Kokichi said as he waved, flaunting his slip in front of Shuichi's face with his other hand. He looked down at him, jumped off of the stool, and clung to Shuichi. They both fell to the floor, Kokichi on top of Shuichi. The taller boy's cap flew off his head, landing underneath the table of the hooded individual.

"Oof!" The impact against the ground was harsh, Shuichi couldn't help but yelp in pain. "K-Kokichi, get off of me, please, you're too heavy..."

"Is this how you react whenever I try to be happy around you?" Kokichi scoffed as he regained his balance to stand up. "Why can't you just try to have fun, is the concept of joy too much for you or something?"

"Oh, sorry." Shuichi bent over and picked up his cap up off of the ground from underneath the table, and waited for a reply. No reply came from the hooded individdual. He didn't answer Kokichi's question as he put on his cap. "...Can we go now, please?"

"Fine, whatever you say." Kokichi started reading the slip of paper. "This little thingy says to wait at the village fountain in the middle of the city." He grabbed Shuichi's hand, and lead him outside. "Since we have enough money to do basically whatever now, thanks to that crinkly dusty old man, we just need to wait until tomorrow by the fountain for the escort, which is soon, considering it's already dark." Kokichi looked up at the night sky, and placed his bag down to grab a bag the aureus.

"If that's the case, we should probably buy a blanket to sleep on if we're going to wait by the fountain the entire time." Shuichi took a bag of aureus out of Kokichi's hand, and walked into the building next door. He conversed with owner, and purchased a 3 thick black blankets. "Thanks." Shuichi placed 16 coins onto the counter, and walked back outside. He strapped the blankets to his bag, making it a lot more heavy than it already was.

"Hey, can you pass a jar of starfruit puree from your bag? I'm starving." Kokichi's stomach audibly grumbled.

"I am too, actually." He reached into his bag and pulled out 2 jars of puree, and tossed one to Kokichi. He unscrewed the lid and drank some.

"This tastes too good, oh my god..."

"You're probably only saying that because you're hungry, food usually tastes better when you're hungry... Anyway, let's go to the fountain, I bought a blanket for each of us and a thicker blanket to lie down on top of." Shuichi straightened out his back, and led the way to the fountain in the city square.

"Clearly, you didn't think this through." Kokichi pointed at his bag as they walked through the city towards the fountain. "We're going to have to sleep on top of the same blanket, you know." He snickered.

"Shut up."


End file.
